International Technology Exchange Could Offer Cleaner Water for U.S.

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University's Center for Environmental Technologies is participating in an international technology exchange that could improve water treatment processes in the United States.

With support from the U.S. Department of Energy's University Coal Research Grant program, CSET is collaborating with a visiting Chinese scientist, Maohong Fan, to bring technology that converts a waste product from coal combustion into a chemical used to purify waste water and drinking water. The University of South Carolina is partnering in the project and will adapt the technology to waste-water plant needs in the southeastern United States.

Most coal contains sulfur, which is released into the atmosphere as sulfur dioxide when burned. Sulfur dioxide contributes to acid rain and environmental degradation. New technologies are being developed to convert coal into a gas that can be chemically scrubbed to remove sulfur before the coal gas is burned. However, this process results in large quantities of byproduct sulfur, which creates a waste disposal problem unless it can be converted into a useful product.

The technology Fan developed converts sulfur into polymeric ferric sulfate or PFS, a flocculating agent that speeds up the settling of suspended dirt and other solids in water. "Industry uses large quantities of flocculating agents to clean up waste water before it is discharged to rivers, while municipal waterworks use them to clarify drinking water. The market for this kind of product is very large," said Robert Brown, CSET's director and an ISU professor of mechanical engineering and chemical engineering.

The $388,000 grant supports work to synthesize PFS and study its applications in water treatment. PFS is anticipated to be cheaper than conventional water-treatment agents such as alum and ferric chloride. Unlike alum, it contains no aluminum, which has been implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Fan is from China's Henan province, an agricultural region roughly the size of Iowa but with 90 million residents. His technology was identified when Brown visited China as part of the Sustainable Development China project, which is sponsored by ISU's Institute for International Theoretical and Applied Physics. "We were looking for opportunities to bring ISU expertise to China, but I saw PFS as an opportunity to make technology transfer a two-way street," said Brown.

Fan commercialized the PFS-conversion technology in China and applied it to the treatment of waste water and drinking water in several provinces. Brown invited Fan to visit CSET, where he explored the application of PFS to American water-treatment systems with seed funding from ISU's Center for Advanced Technology Development.

Des Moines Water Works and Alliant Power of Cedar Rapids are involved in the project. Des Moines and the Commissioners of Public Works for the City of Charleston (through the University of South Carolina) will provide pilot-plant facilities for testing PFS synthesized at ISU. Alliant Power will provide an internship for an ISU student who will conduct economic and environmental analysis of the technology.

CSET is reciprocating in the exchange of technology with China. A biomass gasifier developed by Brown and his colleagues that converts agricultural wastes to flammable gas is being demonstrated in Henan. The gas is distributed by pipeline in a rural village for household cooking. IITAP contributed financial and administrative support for this side of the technology exchange.

"I think that this is a good model for technology transfer. Both parties have similar opportunities to gain and disseminate knowledge," said Brown.

James Vary, IITAP's director, also sees the technology exchange as a win-win situation. "These collaborations in environmentally significant technologies clearly demonstrate the value of international cooperation for all of the partners involved. We see real progress in science and technology with the potential for both major economic and environmental benefits," he said.

The University Coal Research Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy through the National Energy Technology Laboratory.

The Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies is a member of the Institute for Physical Research and Technology, a network of research and technology-transfer centers and industrial-outreach programs at ISU. The International Institute of Theoretical and Applied Physics is sponsored by ISU and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization and promotes cooperation in science and technology between the United States and developing countries.

Last updated September 6, 2006 rbm